Scaling the biggest design system – your design team
summary
A practical roadmap for scaling a design org from a 1–2 person studio to 50–60+ designers with concrete roles and checkpoints: start with pair design (head + product maker), add communication designers and a content strategist, introduce UX researchers, hire design managers, service designers and program managers, then split into director-led teams with a creative technologist and creative director. Advocates continuous delivery (Figma example), user testing to set objective standards, and a small fix (slider vs button) that cut accidental taps in a bike‑taxi driver app.
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chapters (16)
- 0:00Start
- 1:59Building Effective Design Organizations
- 5:27Twelve Qualities of Effective Design Organizations
- 6:10A Shared Sense of Purpose
- 11:14Authentic User Empathy
- 17:54Apple
- 24:27What Is Professional Growth Look like for all Members of My Team
- 26:04Is There a Budget for Education
- 30:43Ensure that Operations Happens Effectively
- 37:00Stage 1 Is the Initial Pair
- 38:44Communication Designer
- 39:01Content Strategist
- 40:19User Researcher
- 40:52Stage Coordination of Complexity
- 43:29Creative Technologist
- 44:08The Creative Director
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